Interview: Maya Banks, author of 'Fever'

Interview: Maya Banks, author of 'Fever'

Interview: Maya Banks, author of 'Fever'

Maya Banks’ second book in her Breathless trilogy, Fever, burns up the pages … and the sheets … and the bedside table where it sits … and the cat’s whiskers when she checks it out … In other words, it’s H-O-T. But, then, it is a Maya Banks book. I got to talk with Maya about Fever, her routine for writing those steam-ervescent scenes and what’s up with Ash, the third best buddy in the trilogy.

Joyce: Welcome back to HEA, Maya! I have to admit that while reading Fever, the lyrics “you give me fevah …” kept going through my head. Because, well, hell-o. How do you DO that?

Maya: I have to have absolute quiet when I’m writing. I’m very easily distracted! I can’t listen to music with lyrics, because I’ll end up singing along and I end up focused on the song instead of my writing. I like to be comfortable when I’m writing, so often I’ll prop up on my nest of pillows on my bed and write that way. If the weather’s nice, I love working outside on my deck, but my chairs aren’t very comfortable, so I can’t write for long periods of time outside!

Joyce: Besides a really hot romance between Jace and Bethany, there’s also the issue of a lifelong friendship between Jace and Ash. The conflict between the two guys is really well done. Did you explore other ways of handling Jace and Ash’s friendship in regards to Bethany?

Maya: No, I knew going in that Bethany would be a bone of contention between them, but not because of jealousy or because Ash wanted a relationship with Bethany. From the start, it’s clear that for Ash it’s a one-night stand like so many others have been for the two men, but for Jace, it’s not. The issue between Ash and Jace stems more from Ash’s concern that Jace has lost his damn mind and Jace being utterly inflexible when it comes to Bethany. But I never intended it to be a long-term estrangement between the two men because their friendship is too important and too longstanding. They are family, much more so than Ash’s family is to him. So to have had Bethany be what breaks that friendship permanently wasn’t realistic because it would have suggested that their bond was tenuous instead of being the unbreakable force that it is.

Joyce: And I LOVED that!

Fever is a wonderful fairy tale about hope. My optimism about life in general rose while reading it. Which leads me to believe that Bethany’s foster brother, Jack, will go on and get his happy ending, too. In your head, what is he doing now?

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Maya: In my head (and on paper) Jack is currently in rehab. It will be a long and difficult road to recovery for him, but the fact that Bethany, and by proxy, Jace, stood behind him gives him the impetus for wanting to straighten out his life.

Joyce: You had to walk a fine line between Bethany appearing to let Jace and Jack both kind of push her around and Bethany doing what family and friends do for each other all the time because that’s what you do for people you love. Was that a tough balance? I think sometimes readers might expect a heroine to behave more … well, fictionally, by walking away. From Jack, especially.

Maya: Well, that’s the thing. It’s easy to say someone should walk away, particularly if you aren’t emotionally involved. But in real life, how many of us are willing to cut ties and walk away from family? Will a mother just “be done” with her child even if the child continues to screw up? Most of the time, no. Family is about that unwavering, unconditional love and support. Most all of my stories deal with family and that sense of a strong family unit in some way or another.

Joyce: I suspect that’s one of the many reasons readers love your work so much.

What can we expect from Ash’s story in Burn?

Maya: While I’ve said on paper in Rush and Fever that Ash appears to be charming and more laid back than his friends, I’ve also sprinkled hints throughout that this is not the case at all. And in fact, in his story, readers will see that Ash is even more intense than both Gabe and Jace. Appearances can be deceiving, and while Ash “looks” to be lighter and more laid back, nothing could be further from the truth. He has more hidden depths than Gabe or Jace. 😉

Joyce: What else can readers expect to see from you this year?

Maya: Oh, the usual suspects and maybe a few more surprises. 😉 I’ll have the seventh book in the KGI series, Forged in Steele, releasing June 25. I also have the third book in the Montgomerys and Armstrongs out this fall. The last book in the Colters’ Legacy series, Colters’ Gift, will release Nov. 5, and as I said, I’m working on a few other things that I hope to be able to talk about soon.

Joyce: Thanks, Maya!

To find out more about Maya and her books, you can visit her website, mayabanks.com.

HEA curator Joyce Lamb has 25 years of journalism experience and eight published romantic suspense novels, three of which have been RITA finalists. You can reach her at jlamb@usatoday.com and follow her on Twitter (@JoyceLamb). You can also follow HEA on Twitter (@HEAusatoday).